The next morning, Grand Secretary Gu went to court, while Xie Zhaozhao stayed home writing invitations and had Moyan and Guanyan deliver them to various residences.
The message reads: "There are small-seeded lychees in the south, with thick flesh and a sweet taste. Your Excellency has sent some back, which will be delivered to your residence around noon today."
The post was partly addressed to a few close friends, and partly to the families of ministers who came to visit me when I was ill some time ago.
What goes around comes around; that's the truth. Human relationships are all about reciprocity.
Yunyang returned by boat these past few days, and Xu Li drove the carriage to the manor, asking Yunyang to arrange the carriage.
Lychees are a rare commodity these days. It's quite unusual to see them brought on a boat, covered in ice, sweet and fresh.
Manman blinked and immediately understood. The young lady didn't want the manor's carriage because she didn't want a bunch of ungrateful wretches to steal all the lychees.
Gu Shaoyu went to find Qin Lang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, early in the morning.
"Lord Qin, please arrange a few large horse-drawn carriages for me."
"How many carriages does Your Excellency require?"
"About ten shi of goods, packed in baskets, how many carts would it take to fit them?"
Qin Lang said that the baskets should not be stacked, and at least three horse-drawn carts should be used.
He ran very fast and immediately went to fetch the carriages.
As luck would have it, they ran into the Crown Prince and overheard Qin Lang instructing the Imperial Stud: "Grand Secretary Gu needs four carriages to transport goods. You must cooperate fully and without fail..."
The crown prince listened for a while, then left without saying anything.
Just as I reached the steps outside the Golden Palace, I saw Gu Shaoyu and Hua Zisheng whispering to each other, seemingly discussing something.
In a secluded place, he said to Pei Kunfu, the Minister of Revenue, "Go and tell the Censor that Grand Secretary Gu is acting like she owns the place. She uses the imperial carriage whenever she wants and orders off court officials at will."
He then pointed at Hua Zisheng and said, "Why are you getting so close to the people around Father Emperor?"
Father has spoiled Gu Shaoyu too much over the years, to the point that he has forgotten that he is just a servant!
Pei Kunfu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, whispered "Yes," and then quietly went to contact other people to prepare to impeach Gu Shaoyu for overstepping his authority.
Yunyang was efficient and sent 10 large horse-drawn carriages to the dock to bring the lychees. Xu Li, following Xie Zhaozhao's instructions, transported all the lychees to the ice room on the island in the center of Yuehu Lake.
When Qin Lang sent four royal carriages to Moon Lake, they filled the carriages to the brim.
As per Xie Zhaozhao's request, the royal carriage was loaded with at least fifteen shi (a unit of dry measure), more than Grand Secretary Gu had said.
After the court meeting concluded and all the political affairs, from north to south, were discussed, Hua Zisheng called out, "Court adjourned!"
The Imperial Censor stepped forward and said, "I have something to report."
Emperor Hui: "Speak."
"Your subject wishes to consult with the Grand Secretary."
Emperor Hui and Gu Shaoyu both glanced at him.
"Oh, what's wrong with him?"
"Grand Secretary Gu, relying on His Majesty's favor, does not appreciate the Emperor's grace, but instead becomes arrogant and presumptuous, overstepping his bounds and violating regulations."
"Is it that serious? What did he do?"
"He arbitrarily orders court officials around. This morning before the court session, he ordered Qin Lang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, to use the imperial carriages to transport something for him."
After saying that, he asked Qin Lang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, "Lord Qin, is this true?"
Qin Lang answered seriously, "Yes."
The Imperial Censor was very satisfied.
He glanced at Hua Zisheng, whose heart skipped a beat. "Damn it, you're not going to bite me, are you? I'm a very honest official, I never collude with anyone."
"I have also discovered that Grand Secretary Gu is having private dealings with Chief Steward Hua. I believe that whether he wants to steal Your Majesty's secrets or corrupt those around Your Majesty, his motives are suspicious and his intentions are despicable."
At this moment, four or five people from the Cheng'en Gong faction stood up on both sides and said, "Your Majesty, I second your opinion," indicating that they had all seen Grand Secretary Gu and Hua Zisheng "conspiring" several times.
Gu Shaoyu remained calm and composed, as if he wasn't talking about him at all.
Hua Zisheng knelt down with a thud, protesting his innocence: "Your Majesty, I have served you for decades. You know best what kind of person I am. Lord Qi can accuse me of being ungrateful and disloyal with just a few words. I would never dare to admit it."
Emperor Hui looked at the Censor-in-Chief and said, "Lord Qi, besides what you saw today, when else have you seen Grand Secretary Gu forming cliques with other court officials for personal gain?"
The moment the words "forming cliques for personal gain" were uttered, everyone's faces turned pale with fright.
Oh no, they're here today because of Grand Secretary Gu, aren't they?
Lord Qi is a member of the Censorate, and their job is to bite people. They don't care if it's a black cat or a white cat; they bite like mad dogs to fulfill their duty of "clarifying the truth through debate."
He really couldn't find any other faults with Gu Shaoyu, but he did have a bit of contempt for the royal family.
Emperor Hui looked at the silent Gu Shaoyu and said, "Grand Secretary Gu, what do you have to say in your defense?"
Gu Shaoyu replied, "I have nothing to refute; what he said is the truth."
The entire hall erupted in uproar. "Grand Secretary Gu, are you just going to confess like this? Aren't you going to put up a fight?"
Just then, someone from the Imperial Stud reported at the palace gate that they were looking for Hua Zisheng.
Emperor Hui said, "Hua Zisheng, go and see what's going on?"
Hua Zisheng went out and ran back in a short while later, reporting: "Your Majesty, the people from the Imperial Stud have come to report that the carriage arranged by Lord Qin has entered the palace."
Qin Lang asked His Majesty to allow him to leave for a moment, promising to return immediately.
Before long, Qin Lang had his men, as Hua Zisheng had requested, bring four carts of lychees to wait outside the Golden Palace.
Hua Zisheng and Qin Lang knelt down together and said, "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Gu has sent someone to bring you top-grade lychees from the south for Your Majesty to try."
"The Marquis's carriage is not allowed to enter the palace, so Grand Secretary Gu ordered me to use the royal carriage to transport the lychees to the palace."
Hanako Katsuya replied, "When the Grand Secretary heard that His Majesty was going to hold a tea party for the elderly on the Double Ninth Festival, he specially selected small-seeded lychees from the South China Sea and sent them to the palace with ice all the way so that they could enjoy them fresh."
The Imperial Censor was dumbfounded.
Those who seconded the motion were also dumbfounded.
Grand Secretary Liu stood up and said, "Grand Secretary Gu has served as an official for many years, always thinking of the court and never doing anything wrong. I hope all ministers will take this as a warning and not speak carelessly."
Emperor Hui nodded: "Grand Secretary Gu is wholeheartedly devoted to the country and the people, and I do not wish to wrong him. The Thousand Elders Banquet is a time for officials and commoners to enjoy themselves together. The Censor and a few others who spoke carelessly today should not attend; they should stay in their residences and reflect on their mistakes!"
The Crown Prince gestured to Lord Qi, and the Imperial Censor spoke up again: "Lychees are tribute items and are very expensive. Where did Grand Secretary Gu get so much money?"
Gu Shaoyu looked at His Majesty and replied, "I have been in office for more than ten years, without taking a wife or concubines, and without currying favor with others. I should still be able to save up enough money to buy lychees, right?"
Qin Lang couldn't help but say, "Your Excellency, in the capital, anyone with a bit of wealth can afford to eat lychees. You should stop doing things like 'pear blossoms overshadowing crabapple blossoms,' take fewer concubines, and you can still afford lychees every day."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hui said, "Let's leave it at that. If you keep arguing, the Grand Secretary will be asking me for money!"
Sure enough, Gu Shaoyu stared wide-eyed and asked Emperor Hui, "Aren't you going to pay for these lychees, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Hui nodded: "Yes, thank you for your gift, I like it very much."
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